1702 Marriage of John Jones & Margaret Waterman

Kris Hocker on 17 Nov 2014

I’ve been researching and gathering information on John Jones of Philadelphia, because I think I may be descended from him—although at this time it’s a really big leap. So, I’ve been searching through the Quaker meeting records on Ancestry, looking to document information that I’ve found in online forums.

One of the items I’m searching for is the maiden name of John Jones Jr.’s wife. According to an abstract of John Jones Sr.’s will, his son John was married to a woman named Margaret as of 28 Feb 1708. According to the Quaker meeting records, John Jones married Margaret Waterman. They announced their intention to marry on 29 Jan 1702 and again on 26 Feb 1702:

John Jones and Margaret Waterman appeared at this Meeting Declaring thier Intentions of Marriage with each other it being the first time Sarah Goodson and Hannah Carpenter are appointed to Enquire concerning her Clearness and make report thereof to the next monthly.1

I was surprised by the date. My understanding was that John Jones (the father) married Margaret Waterman, widow of Humphrey Waterman, in 1696 and had their first child in 1697. What was with the 1702 date?

My confusion soon cleared, however, when I found the actual marriage record. It reads:

Whereas John Jones Son of John Jones of Philadelphia in the Province of Pennsylvania Merchant & Margaret Waterman Daughter of Humphrey Waterman late of the same place deceased having declared their intentions of taking Each other in Marriage before Several Monthly Meetings of the people of God called Quakers in Philadelphia aforesd according to the good order used amongst them Whose proceedings thereinafter due deliberation thereof and consent of parties and relations concerned they appearing clear of all others were approved by the said Meetings Now this is to certify all whom it may concern that for a full accomplishment of their said Intentions this Eleventh day of the first Month in the year according to the English account one Thousand Seven hundred & two they the said John Jones & Margaret Waterman appeared in a publick & solemn assembly of the aforesaid people mett together att their publick meeting house in Philadelphia aforesaid and in a solemn manner according to the Example of the holy men of God recorded in Scriptures of Truth He the said John Jones taking her the said Margaret Waterman by the hand declared as followeth (viz.) Friends In the Fear of the Lord and before this Assembly I take this my friend Margaret Waterman to be my Wife promising through the Lords assistance to be a failthfull & Loving husband till it shall please the Lord by death to Separate and then & there in the said Assembly the said Margaret Waterman Likewise declared as followeth (viz.) Friend In fear of God & before this Assembly I take this my friend John Jones to be my husband promising through gods assistance to be a faithfull & loving wife till it shall please God by death to Separate us and for a further confirmation thereof they the said John Jones & Margaret Waterman now (assuming the name of her husband) Margaret Jones did then & there to these presents sett their hands and we whose Names are here underwritten being present amongst others att the Solemnization of their said Marriage & Subscription as aforesaid have also to these presents as witnesses thereunto subscribed our Names the day & year above written2

The marriage intentions and marriage record refer to John Jones Jr. and Margaret Waterman, daughter of Humphrey Waterman. The couple signed the record “John Jones Junr.” and “Margaret Jones Junr.” Then—it appears to me—the family members signed after them.

  • John Jones Senr
  • Margaret Jones Senr
  • Jane Waterman
  • Richd Jones
  • Saml Jones
  • Marcy Waterman
  • Eliza Waterman
  • Grace Jones
  • Yeamans & Mary Gillingham

These names seem to be consistent with the family members of John Jones, merchant, of Philadelphia who came from Barbados in 1683, and his wife Margaret, formerly the widow of Humphrey Waterman, who also came to Philadelphia from Barbados. Furthermore, I also found the record of the marriage between John Jones [Sr.] of Philadelphia and Margaret Waterman in the records of the Abington Monthly Meeting. It was recorded in the minutes of the meeting on 30 Nov [9th mo] 1696.3

I’m not sure how Yeamans & Mary Gillingham fit in, but their names are grouped with the rest of the family members, so I expect I’ll be researching them, too.

Footnotes

  1. Philadelphia Monthly Meeting (Arch Street, Philadelphia), Women’s Minutes, 1686-1720, page 37, John Jones and Margaret Waterman marriage intention, 29th 11th month 1702; digital image, Ancestry, “U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935” (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 Nov 2014). ↩
  2. Philadelphia Monthly Meeting (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), Marriages, 1672-1759, page 31, John Jones and Margaret Waterman marriage, 1th 1st month 1702; digital image, Ancestry, “U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935” (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 Nov 2014). ↩
  3. Abington Monthly Meeting (Montgomery County, Pennsylvania), Men’s Minutes, 1682-1746, page 31, John Jones and Margaret Waterman marriage, 30th 9th month 1696; digital image, Ancestry, “U.S., Quaker Meeting Records, 1681-1935” (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 16 Nov 2014). ↩

Cite This Page:

, "1702 Marriage of John Jones & Margaret Waterman," A Pennsylvania Dutch Genealogy, the genealogy & family research site of Kris Hocker, modified 21 Nov 2014 (https://www.krishocker.com/1702-marriage-of-john-jones-margaret-waterman/ : accessed 2 Nov 2024).

Content copyright © 2014 Kris Hocker. Please do not copy without prior permission, attribution, and link back to this page.

One Reply to “1702 Marriage of John Jones & Margaret Waterman”

  1. Brad Stewart 30 Jan 2017 at 9:53 am

    Looks like Yeamans is John Jones’ nephew. Yeamans Gillingham is the head one of the two primary lines of the Gillingham Name in the US.

    From a 2011 Gillingham newsletter (one-name.org):

    Yeamans Gillingham’s Parents Found!

    The following information is the result of the joint efforts of Allan Dean Gillingham and Kay Silver. We are still working on this and hope to be able to report more finds next year.

    Yeamans Gillingham was the son of Thomas Gillingham, a cordwainer, and Ann Yeamans and was most probably born in Barbados between 1666 and 1679. We start with the will of John Yeamans of Barbados, made 23 Jun 1666 and proved 11 Jan 1667:

    dau Ann GILLINGHAM and her husband, son in law Thomas GILLLINGHAM, dau Margaret YEAMANS under age – house Moyses ASSANA lives in next to Arthur LAMBERT; daus Mary YEAMANS & Elizabeth YEAMANS; sister Sarah BOONES & her dau; George JONES to be paid at time of his freedom from his master; Edward JONES’ wife; wife Anne YEAMANS Executrix; Overseers Sir John YEAMANS & John SUMMERHAIS

    Signed John YEAMANS, Wit: William REVELL, Peter THOMAS, Charles SPENDLINE

    The Yeamans family was numerous both in Barbados and their home city of Bristol, UK. At the same time as the John who appears above there was also a Baronet John Yeamans, possibly the overseer of the will and almost certainly a relative.  

    The next document of interest is the will of Thomas GILLINGHAM, cordwainer dwelling in Speights Bay, St Peter’s Parish, made 30 Jan 1679 and proved 26 June 1681:

    My son Yeaman GILLINGHAM; brother in law Henry KEIR of St Peters Parish; friend & neighbour John RING near Speights Bay; wife Mary GILLINGHAM Executrix.

    Signed Thomas GILLINGHAM, Wit: John WILSON, William WHITCHURCH

    Next we have the will of Ann KELLSOL St. Peters Parish, made 4 Sep 1709 and proved 14 Nov 1709:

    My gr son Yeamans Gillingham of Pa.;  negro woman Moll – freedom; friends William Dury and Thomas Jackman both of St. Peters Parish coopers – Xtrs;  my gr son John Jones Jr in Pa.;  Anne Cullingham; Ephra Mayhew the wf of William Mayhew. 

    Signed Ann (X) Kellsol Wit:  Daniel Wallace, Wm: Hawkesworth, John Brinsden

    So in 1666 Thomas was married to Ann the daughter of John and Ann Yeamans and at the time of his will in 1679 a woman called Mary.  It seems reasonable that Thomas m Ann Yeamans and their son was Yeamans GILLINGHAM.  Thomas later married Mary who could be the sister of Henry KEIR.  The 1680 census of Barbados shows Thomas Gillingham and Ann Kelsoll both resident in St Peters Parish – and owning 3 and 5 slaves respectively. This seems a bit odd for Quakers!

    The Ancestry.com database ” Pennsylvania, Quaker arrivals at Philadelphia (Meeting), 1682-1750″, includes an entry for John Jones, probably the senior.  The details were as follows:
     
    Location:  From Plantation Meeting, Island of Barbadoes (sic)
    Date: 13 May 1683
    Comments:  desiring to remove with his family to Pennsylvania

    Finally there is the will of John Jones, Philadelphia, Merchant, 28 Feb 1708, 11 May 1708, codicil, 2 May 1709: 
Wife Margaret and unborn child, son John and his wife Margaret. Other children, Richard, Grace, Samuel, Rebecca, Sarah, Jacob and Gibbs. Testators deceased wife Rebecca. Executrix: Wife Margaret. Trustees: Samuel Preston and Clement Plumsted. Witnesses: John Webb, James Cooper, Thomas Story, Richard Jones, Marthe… Claypolle, and Ann Webb
     
    This seems to confirm that John Jones senior married Margaret Yeamans and was therefore the uncle of Yeamans Gillingham. Might Yeamans have travelled with the Jones family?  Might he have followed after them later?  The dates fit, and Yeamans Gillingham was a young man with both parents deceased. 

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